Computer systems use memory devices, such as dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”) devices, to store instructions and data that are accessed by a processor. These memory devices are normally used as system memory in a computer system. In a typical computer system, the processor communicates with the system memory through a processor bus and a memory controller. The processor issues a memory request, which includes a memory command, such as a read command, and an address designating the location from which data or instructions are to be read. The memory controller uses the command and address to generate appropriate command signals as well as row and column addresses, which are applied to the system memory. In response to the commands and addresses, data are transferred between the system memory and the processor. The memory controller is often part of a system controller, which also includes bus bridge circuitry for coupling the processor bus to an expansion bus, such as a PCI bus.
The operating speed of memory devices has continuously increased, thereby providing ever-increasing memory bandwidths. However, this increase in memory bandwidth has not kept pace with increases in the operating speed of processors. One approach to increasing memory bandwidth is to access a larger number of memory devices in parallel with each other so that this data are read from or written to this larger number of memory devices with each memory access. One memory architecture that lends itself well to allowing are larger number of memory devices to be simultaneously accessed is a memory hub architecture. In a memory hub architecture, a system controller or memory hub controller is coupled to several memory modules, each of which includes a memory hub coupled to several memory devices. The memory hub efficiently routes memory requests and responses between the controller and the memory devices. Computer systems employing this architecture can have a higher bandwidth because a processor can read data from or write data to one memory module while another memory module is responding to a prior memory access. For example, the processor can output write data to the memory devices in one of the memory modules while the memory devices in another memory module are preparing to provide read data to the processor.
Although memory modules using memory hubs may provide increased memory bandwidth, the presence of memory hubs in the modules can make it difficult to coordinate the flow of command and address signals to the memory modules and the flow of data signals to and from the memory modules. A memory controller in a conventional memory system directly accesses memory devices in memory modules. The absence of any control device, such as a memory hub, between the memory controller and the memory devices makes it relatively easy for the memory controller to coordinate its operation with each of the memory modules. In particular, since the memory controller is actively controlling the activity in each of the memory modules, the memory controller is able to determine the status of memory accesses to each memory module based on the signals it has transmitted to or received from the memory modules. In contrast, the presence of a memory hub on each of the memory modules to control access to the memory devices makes it difficult for a controller to determine the status of memory requests to each memory module since the controller is no longer directly controlling the memory accesses. For example, the controller can no longer determine when a read memory request will be issued to the memory devices on that module. Since the controller cannot determine when the read memory request is issued, it cannot determine when the read data will be coupled from the memory module. As a result, the controller cannot determine when it can issue another read or write memory request to the same or another memory module. Similarly, the controller cannot determine if several memory requests issued to a memory module have been serviced, and thus cannot determine whether additional memory requests should be issued to the memory module. Other types of coordination issues will be apparent to one skilled in the art.
There is therefore a need for a memory system architecture that allows a controller or other device coupled to a plurality of hub-based memory modules to coordinate the issuing of memory requests to the memory modules.